Trying A Steeltronics CE12 Single Coil

[Dennis Detweiler]

I have two MSA Classic U-12 guitars (Birdseye maple 1975 & 76). I was listening to some live recordings that we made on 8 track from 2018 when I had a Truetone (wound 18k) pickup in the guitar on the recording. Currently both guitars have Telonics pickups (427 & X12). The recorded steel track had a sweetness and slight growl to it that caught my ear. So, I ordered a Steeltronics CE12 that advertises the duplicate of the Emmons and Truetone (alnico magnets and wire size) and wound to 18k. Four week out manufacture time-line. I will report results after that time.

[Larry Dering]

Dennis, that sounds like a great plan if you get the desired results. I'm in the process of pickup swapping a couple Telecasters to get that growl I remember from an earlier 60s model. I have wrestled with the tone on my GFI SD10 until I put a Lawrence 705 under the hood and vastly improved to my taste. I have a Justice Judge SD10 4X5 with the 705 pickup and for whatever reason it doesn't appeal to me. So it gets some pickup swapping in the near future. I got an E66 and a couple single coils off an Emmons to try. Tone matching is trial and error and a bit expensive too. Hopefully we make a good choice early on.

[Nathan Pocock]

Yeah maybe you’re just one of those single-coil guys like I am. 6-string guitars too. I just do not like playing humbuckers, even ones with a good reputation for being ‘like a single coil’. I had a 705 in my Justice, took it out for a Steeltronics ZB style and it sounds awesome. And I just put two Homespun Troubadour singles in my Legrande to replace some Pentads.

I think a lot of that growl in the low-end comes from having more clarity in the low mids, that’s where humbuckers get muddy.

[Dennis Detweiler]

I installed Telonic humbuckers in both of my U-12 guitars, but should have kept the Truetone in one of them. I only switched to Humbuckers because I was doing steel tracks for several years in a studio and the Truetone was picking up too much hum. The studio folded last year. Steeltronics pots his pickups to reduce noise. His website is very informative even though I don't understand a lot of the tech talk. I noticed single coils on Tommy White's Mullen. When I bought the Truetone pickup it was wound to 22000 at their recommendation for my year and model MSA. It was too muddy on the bottom, so I sent it back when he said he could take some windings off and tried it at 20000. Still a little muddy, so I sent it back and paid him extra to take it down to 18000 and that nailed it for a perfect winding for my guitar. Steeltronics winds the CE12 to 18000, so this should be perfect.